Distance Education | Online Degrees & Programs | Nova Southeastern University | Nova Southeastern University
Academics
Distance Education
It’s part of our mission to provide convenient ways for students across the nation
and all over the globe to earn a degree from Nova Southeastern University.  That’s
why we offer many of our degree programs through distance education, with classes
delivered outside the Fort Lauderdale area either online, or at one of our Regional
Campuses.
Academics
Colleges and Schools
Degrees
Institutes and Centers
Distance Education
Student Handbook
Regional Campuses
Students don’t have to be on our Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus to have a traditional
college experience. Our
Regional Campuses
allow those who live far from Fort Lauderdale to experience an on-campus atmosphere.
Our campuses provide opportunities to develop friendships, form study groups and use
videoconferencing equipment to connect with the main campus.
NSU Regional Campuses offer:
Convenient evening and weekend classes
Full-degree online programs
Outstanding on-site faculty members who are professionals participating in their fields
Full-time staff to assist with financial aid, registration, applications and program
questions
Wireless connectivity
Videoconferencing and audiovisual tools
Convenient parking
Student government associations
Online Courses
In 1972, NSU pioneered distance education by offering the first doctoral distance
education program in the country. Recognizing a need for programs that are accessible
to working professionals, NSU quickly expanded its online course offerings. Today,
NSU remains a leader in online education. Online courses offer NSU students the ability
to access all course content and complete a wide range of activities, including frequent
student-teacher and student-student communication.
NSU’s online education features:
Faculty and student discussion forums with threaded bulletin boards
Real-time electronic classrooms with graphical presentations and audio
Online submission of assignments in multimedia formats
NSU email address
Directory for publishing assignments and resources to the Web
Access to the Electronic Library and online databases
State Authorization
Federal and state regulations require that institutions of higher education comply
with state laws regarding distance learning. Distance learning programs may utilize
a number of different instructional methodologies including online courses or video
technology. Degree programs may also integrate some form of supervised field experience
such as an internship, externship, student teaching or practica that takes place outside
of the institution’s home state. State regulations related to distance learning activities
are continuously changing and evolving. NSU makes every effort to monitor these changes,
maintain appropriate state approvals, and make the most informed decisions about state
authorization compliance for its students. The University works with various regulatory
agencies in each state and U.S. Territories to seek authorizations, registrations,
exemptions and/or permissions to offer distance education programs to out-of-state
residents who wish to enroll in these programs. Students that have any questions related
to state authorization should contact their College adviser or NSU’s Office of Licensure
and State Relations.
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is an agreement among member
states, districts, and territories in the United States, which establishes comparable
national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education activities.
These distance education activities may include, but not be limited to, online courses
and certain types of supervised field experiences. SARA is intended to simplify the
process of state authorization related to the aforementioned distance education activities
by establishing a standard approval process through which institutions may participate
in the reciprocity agreement with other member states. At present, all states except
for California are members of SARA. Although SARA facilitates state authorization
for certain types of distance education activities, the reciprocity agreement has
no effect on state professional licensure requirements. To learn more about SARA,
please visit:
nc-sara.org
In August of 2017, the state of Florida was approved by the Southern Regional Education
Board to join SARA. On December 11, 2017, Florida’s Postsecondary Reciprocal Distance
Education Coordinating Council (PRDECC) approved NSU to register with National Council
for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). On January 23, 2018, NC-SARA
approved institutional participation for NSU. The university remains an institutional
participant in SARA and is in good standing.
Nova Southeastern University provides several means through which a student may address
complaints and grievances. In order to resolve academic grievances, complaints, and
concerns in an expeditious, fair, and amicable manner, students are asked to consult
their respective
college catalog or student handbook
for information on the appropriate grievance procedures. The link above provides
academic catalogs for each Nova Southeastern University College. Students are urged
to exhaust all possible internal avenues for resolution before filing complaints with
external agencies.
In the unlikely event that an issue cannot be resolved internally, students may file
a complaint with the following external agencies:
Regional Accreditor:
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
(SACSCOC), 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 Telephone: (404) 679-4500.
The link above provides information on the SACSCOC complaint policies and procedures.
State Agency: Florida Department of Education, Office of Articulation; email:
articulation@fldoe.org
Telephone: (850) 245-0427.
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA): SARA is a voluntary, regional approach
to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. Institutions that participate
in SARA are authorized to provide online and other distance education activities to
students from all SARA member states. Institutions that choose to participate in SARA
operate under a set of policies and standards overseen by the National Council for
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and administered by four regional
higher education compacts. Nova Southeastern University has been approved by NC-SARA
to participate in this reciprocity agreement.
Distance education students that are enrolled in a Florida institution that operates
under SARA, who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and applicable
state grievance process, may appeal non-instructional complaints to the Florida State
Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (FL-SARA) Postsecondary Reciprocal Distance Education
Coordinating Council (PRDEC). For additional information on the complaint process,
please visit
FL-SARA Complaint Process
page.
NSU Colleges that offer programs leading to professional licensure or certification
regularly assess state requirements for licensure. All NSU students and applicants
to programs leading to professional licensure receive a notification pertaining to
the educational requirements for licensure in the state where they are located. This
notification also includes information related to state licensing boards. It is advised
that all applicants seek guidance from the appropriate licensing agency in your home
state before beginning any academic program leading to professional licensure. If
you are unable to locate information about professional licensure in your state, or
have difficulty obtaining the information you need, please contact the academic adviser
for your program.
Each NSU program that leads to professional licensure or certification has posted
specific information about licensure requirements on the degree program’s webpage
under the heading “Professional Licensure Disclosure.” The following PDF provides
a listing of
NSU programs that lead to professional licensure or certification
and the URL to the Professional Licensure Disclosure. Please review all the information
on the program webpage and contact an academic adviser for further information about
professional licensure requirements.